Apparatus for evaporating liquids



(No Model.)

S. M. LILLIE.

APPARATUS FOR EVAPORATING LIQUIDS. No. 344,586. Patented June 29, 1886.

I I g m W] TNESSES: INVENTOR N PETERS. Phola-Lilhogrnphnn Washlnglon. n.c.

UNITED STATES PATENT errors.

S. MORRIS LILLIE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR .EVAPORATING LIQUIDS.

SPECIFICATION orming part of Letters Patent No. 344:,586, dated June 29,1886.

Application filed June 5, 1884. Serial No. 138.989. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, S. MORRIS LILLIE, of Philadelphia, in the county ofPhiladelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Apparatus for Evaporating Liquids, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My apparatus consists of a battery of approximatelyyertical tubesextending through a suitable steam-tight case, and of means ior causingthe liquid to be evaporated to flow in thin films down the exteriorsurfaces of the tubes in the said case, while the carrier of the heatfor the evaporation-as steam or heated gaseous products ofcombustion,for exampleare introduced into or are made to pass throughthe interiors of the tubes.

The drawings forming a portion of this specification consist of twofigures, of which Figure 1 is a vertical section of the evaporatingapparatus, and Fig. 2a view of a detached part.

In the drawings, 1) b b, 850., Fig. 1, are a series of tubes, whichextend from the chamber P vertically through the interior of the case E,and chamber G, above it, into the dome D. The tubes are expanded orotherwise tightly fitted into the tube-plate p, which divides the dome Dfrom the chamber G, pass loosely through passages a in the tube-plate p,which divides the chamber G from the interior of the ease E, and,extending through the latter, are expanded or tightly fitted into thetubeplatep, dividing the chamber 1? from the interior of the case E. Thepassages through the tube-plate p are made slightly larger than theexteriors of the tubes b, which pass through them, thus forming anannular passage, n, between the chambers Gand E,around each tube,through which any liquid introduced into the chamber G will flow fromthe same through the passage 41 upon the exterior surface of all of thetubesb in the case E, down which it will flow to the bottom of the case.ers into the chamber G and serves to conduct the liquid to be evaporatedinto the chamber. The main is provided with a cock, f, by which the flowof liquid into the chamber G is automatically regulated, by means ofdevices-to be described, so as to maintain the level of A main, S,deliva conduit, B, opening into it near the top through the horizontalnarrow passage 0' from the chamber 8, surrounding E, with which theconduit B connects. This conduit serves to carry off the vapors formedin the chamber E during the process of evaporation.

From the bottom of the chamber E a drainingpipe, 0, leads to a pump, 0,whose eduction-main delivers either into the chamber G or through abranch pipe, (I, to some other destination apart from the apparatus.

The plug of the cock f in the main S bears a lever, t,having two arms,making an obtuse angle with each other. One arm of the lever is weightedand tends to revolve the plug to open the cock,while the other armsupports a hollow globe, F, suspended from it by a cord, rod, or chain,0:, whose weight tends to revolve the plug of the cock in the oppositedirection i. 6., to close it. The interior of the globe F communicatesfrom underneath through ailexible connection, 0, with the bottom of thechamber E, and from above through the flexible connection 0 with thechamber at apoint above the highest level to which it will ever be desired to have the liquid rise in the chamber when the apparatus is inuse. The weight of the counterpoise w on the levert is SlllfiClGlJl) torevolve the plug of the cock into andto retain it in the position shown,which is its position when the cock is wide open, against the combinedweights of the cord 00, globe F, flexible connections 6 c, and ofsufficient of the liquid to fill the connecting-tube 6 up to the globe.If, however,the globe is nearly filled with the liquid,the weight ofthese parts is suflicientto overbalance the counterpoise w, and torevolve the plug of the cock into the closed position.

The purpose of the combination just de-.

scribed is to automatically regulate the How of liquid through the mainS into the apparatus by means of the level of the liquid in the chamberE. Thus as long as the level of the liquid in the chamber E is belowthat of the bottom of the globe the cockf remains wide open; but inproportion as the liquid rises above that level, and, consequently,flows into the globe F, the plug of the cock is revolved by theincreasing weight of the globe in the direction to close the cock,untilfinally, if the liquid continues to rise, the cock will be entirelyclosed. The level to which the liquid.

IOC

may rise will depend,therefore,upon the height of the globe P, which maybe-varied as desired by increasing or diminishing the length of thesuspending cord or chain as.

The construction of the dome D and of the well P will vary with theagent used as the source of heat foreffecting the evaporation. Supposingthe agent to be steam, they may be constructed as shown in the drawings,and as hereinafter described. If heated gases or products of combustionare to be used,they areled into the domeD and out of the well]? bysuit-v able flues, the gases flowing downward through the tubes b, orvice versa, the gases areled' into the well P, up through the tubes b,and out ofthedome D; or the apparatus may be used as a vertical boiler,inwhich case the. wellP is fashioned as a fire-box, in which the fuelinay be burned, andthe domeD comma posing, however, that steam isthe,agentto be used, the construction of the dome D and well, J? may be asshown in Fig. 1, in which both are -steam tight and have vcommunicationsthrough the mainsigv and h, respectively, with;

a steam-supply. The well 1? has an air-vent;

11, and an escape for 'the-waterof. condensation through thepi-pe 7a,which leads to a suitable steam-trap.

The methodof using the evaporatorshow'n' in-Fig. 1-is-as"follows: Theair-vent iof-the.

:ehamber P :having been opened, steam islet into the dome D from themain \Vhenthe ai-rhasbeenwell driven out of thedome, tubes, and well P,and steam issues from the air vent-z, the latteriselosed and" the valvein the steam-main h, leading into the 'well P, opened, The liquid-to'ibeevaporated is then allowed to pass into-thechamber G through the main1S,

the'ehamber G from'the main S. Whe11- the liquid -issuificientlyconcentrated, itis 'delivered-loy thepu np O-through the pipe d'into;

a suitable receptacle.

As before I pointed out, the flow of "liquid from themain S intothechamber' G:--isregulated by the level. of the liq-u'id inzthechamberin=suchmanner,-. by means of i the globe and itseonnections, thatas this level falls the -j ust sufficient to replace the liquiddelivered coek-f-opens wider, and as it rises the-cock .closes,-froniwhich it results that the fi-owwof liquid intothe-apparatus from themain S from the evaporator eitheras vapor through the main B or asliquid through the pump 0 nicates Witha suitable chimney or-flue. 'Sup-aper-:surface ot the plate. implaee, conduits are formed-through the andpipe d. Liquid delivered by the pump from the chamber E into the chamberG does not affect the flow of liquid from the main S, as it does notleave the apparatus, and so does nothave to be replaced by fresh liquidfrom S to maintain the level of the liquid in E, and so when no liquidis being delivered away from the apparatus the influx of liquid into itfrom Swill be only sufficient to replace that lost by evaporation.

When the apparatus is constructed and used for asteam-generator-as whenthe chamber P is-replaced by a furnace or fire-box and the "d ome'Dconnects with a chimney-the pump 0 serves only to transfer water fromthe chamber E into the chamber G, as a rule, and the flow of water intothe apparatus from the pipe S is simply that necessaryto replacethatescaping "fromthe generator as steam v lit isapparentthatthe main S maydeliver intothe chamber E, instead of into G, in which case the pump 0would be relied uponto dealiver liquid into thewchamber G, and-soonto-=:the-tubesb. chamber G-serves as a species of =feed-heater,"rheaiti'flg tlle l-iqu-identoring from S.

As-arranged inthe drawings,thc

-VV-henthis evaporator is used fort-heconcent-ration of liquids-such assugar solutions, t-heevaporation of which it is desirableshould "be:carried on'at as-low temperatures as possi- -'ble,the main B, designedfor conducting the vapors away from the chamber E,-shou-ld communicatewith proper condensers and airpumps, whereby a more'or less perfectvacuum :may be maintained in the chamber E, in which the evaporation takesplace.

It will be seen that thetubes b, Fig. 1, have greater diameters at theirlowerends -than-at their-upper ones, and that they thus presentsurfacesslightl y inclined tothe verti -calfor'the' liquid to flow down.Thiscon- -struction promotes a-greater firmness ofcon- -tact, so tospeak, betweenthe surfaces of, the tubes and-the liquid flowing downthem, and

also permits a somewhat freer escape from the liquid --for the vapors ofevaporation than --=,would be the case were the walls of the tubesstrictly vertical. Tubes of uniform bore may be "used-however, with goodresults.

;I-n-'=Fig. 2is'shown an arrangement of the =condu-its through thetube-plate 1,,which deliverthe liquid from the chamber G upon thesurfacesof the tubes 12 in the chamber -E, different from that show-nin'Eig. 1.

Fig. 2 isa limited verticalsection of a tube,

-b, or tube-plate p, and aplan of the same not in section. hole throughthe plate, excepting wherecon- The-tube 1) fits tightly in thetact-iskbro'ken,ias about to be described. In

the' sides of the hole through the plate 0 is for-medithe horizontal;groove m, having: the -four--verticalgrooves0, extending to the up- Whenthe tube?) is plateconsisti-ng of the venticalgrooves o, horizontalgroove in, and l the an nular passagen, formed bysl-ightly enlarging thebore of hole throughthe plate below the horizontal groove l passagesthrough the plate or septum p, be-

m, through which conduits any liquid delivered onto the plate 1) will bedelivered upon and uniformly distributed over the surface of the tube b.

This evaporator may be constructed without the dome D. In this case thechamber G only is above the chamber E, and the tubes 1) only extendabove theplatep, and have their upper ends closed. The passages for thetubes through the plate may-be constructed as in Fig. 2. Steam hasaccess to the interiors of the tubes only from the chamber P. Beforestarting the evaporation in an apparatus thus constructed-via, withoutthe dome Dit is well to exhaust the air from the chamber P and tubes 1),whenpracticable, before admitting the steam into the chamber P, in orderthat the steam may have free access to the interiors of the tubes b.

Thus having described my invention, I claim as mine and wish to secureto myself by Letters Patent of the United States 1. In an evaporator orsteam-generator, the combination of the chamber or furnace P, chamber E,dome D, tubes b, extending from the chamber or furnace P, through thechamber E, to the dome D, and means for causing a flow of liquid downthe exterior surfaces of the tubes I) in the chamber E, substantially asspecified.

2. In an evaporator or steam generator, thecombination of the chamber orfurnace P, chamber E, dome D, tubes b, and means for drawing liquid fromthe chamber E and for delivering the same upon the external surfaces ofthe tubes 1) in the chamber E, substantially as specified.

q 3. In an evaporator or steam-generator, the combination of the chamberor furnace P, chamber E, dome D, tubes 1), extending from the chamber P,through the chamber E, to the dome D, means for delivering a liquid intothe evaporator upon the surfaces of the tubes 1) in the chamber E, andmeans for drawing liquid from the chamber E,and for delivering the sameupon the surfaces of the said tubes b, substantially as described.

4. In an evaporator or steam-generator, the combination of the chamberor furnace P, chamber E, chamber G, dome D, tubes extending from thechamber or furnace P, through the chambers E and G, to the dome D, and

tween the chambers E and G, adapted to deliver liquid from the chamber Gupon the ex terior surfaces of the tubes exposed in thechamber E,substantially as specified.

5. In an evaporator constructed substantially as described, thecombination, with the chamber E and chamber G, of a pump, 0, orequivalent apparatus, connecting with the chamber E and with the chamberG by suitable mains, and operating to draw liquid from the chamber E andto deliver it into the chamber G, substantially as specified.

6. In an evaporating apparatus, the combination of the chamber P,connected with and receiving steam from a suitable steam-supply, chamberE, tubes 1), extending into or through the chamber E from the chamber P,but not opening into the chamber E, and means for causing a flow of theliquid to be evaporated down the exterior surfaces of the tubes 1),substantially as specified.

7. The combination, with the chamber E, of the surrounding annularchamber 8, communicating with E through a continuous narrow openingextending around E, or through a series of small passages, the saidannular chamber and connections with E serving to deliver steam orvapors from the latter into the main 13, substantially as described.

8. The within-described devices for regulating the flow of feed water orliquid into an evaporator or steam-generator by means of the variationsof level of the liquid in the same, consisting of the hollow globe F,communicating from below through aflexible connection with the interiorof the evaparator below the waterline, and fromlabove communi eatingthrough a flexible connection with the steam-space above the level ofthe liquid, and mechanism connecting the globe with a valve in thefeed-pipe, and operating to close the said valve more and more as theglobe is weighed down by a rising of the liquid in the same, and alsooperating to open the valve in proportion to the lightening of the globeby a sinking of the liquid in the same, substantially as specified.

S. MORRIS LILLIE.

\Vitnesses:

PAUL E. SEEBER, JACOB O. MuENcH.

